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Dynasty 200 vs. 350 for first TIG welder / novice

01-13-2013, 12:40 PM

I was hoping to get some feedback from people familiar with one or both of these machines to help me with my first welder purchase. It has been about 15 years since I have welded at all, and was only a novice stick / TIG welder. At the time, I had improved my technique quite a bit with welding plain steel and tubing but never formally learned how to weld or set up the machine. Now I have the interest to learn more, make this a hobby, and I have started an auto restoration / fabrication project, and finally am in a position to buy a welder. I decided that I want one of the Miller Dynasty TIG machines.

Most of my welding will be with 1/4" thick or less material, however, I will also on occasion want to weld thicker materials. I don't ever plan on using the welder in a business or for high volume production. It is for hobby use, but I am willing to pay more for the extra features and lower electrical demand of the dynasty series because I see this as an investment in a piece of equipment that I will use over the next 30 or 40 years. I have a few specific questions:

1) The Dynasty 200 is advertised as capable of welding up to 1/4" steel. What would this mean if I wanted to weld a 1/4" plate in a tee junction with a 1/2" thick plate, or even thicker material? Do I understand correctly that it would only penetrate sufficiently for welding the 1/4" plate?

2) At what point do you really need the water cooled torch / cooling system for either of these welders? Starting out again after many years, I will be very slow at welding. Does this mean that using an air cooled torch and just the welder itself would probably meet my needs until I start welding at higher duty cycles and amperage? Are there any risks of doing this?

3) I would like to hear some feedback from those who have maxed out the capacity of the Dynasty 200 and help me understand the limits of this machine in real world terms. I could justify the higher price of the 350 now if I will need it in the future, but of course it will put a dent in my budget for my project and delay it.

I have just finished building a workshop with two dedicated 230V service circuits. One 50A and the other 80A.

I was hoping to get some feedback from people familiar with one or both of these machines to help me with my first welder purchase. It has been about 15 years since I have welded at all, and was only a novice stick / TIG welder. At the time, I had improved my technique quite a bit with welding plain steel and tubing but never formally learned how to weld or set up the machine. Now I have the interest to learn more, make this a hobby, and I have started an auto restoration / fabrication project, and finally am in a position to buy a welder. I decided that I want one of the Miller Dynasty TIG machines.

Most of my welding will be with 1/4" thick or less material, however, I will also on occasion want to weld thicker materials. I don't ever plan on using the welder in a business or for high volume production. It is for hobby use, but I am willing to pay more for the extra features and lower electrical demand of the dynasty series because I see this as an investment in a piece of equipment that I will use over the next 30 or 40 years. I have a few specific questions:

1) The Dynasty 200 is advertised as capable of welding up to 1/4" steel. What would this mean if I wanted to weld a 1/4" plate in a tee junction with a 1/2" thick plate, or even thicker material? Do I understand correctly that it would only penetrate sufficiently for welding the 1/4" plate?

2) At what point do you really need the water cooled torch / cooling system for either of these welders? Starting out again after many years, I will be very slow at welding. Does this mean that using an air cooled torch and just the welder itself would probably meet my needs until I start welding at higher duty cycles and amperage? Are there any risks of doing this?

3) I would like to hear some feedback from those who have maxed out the capacity of the Dynasty 200 and help me understand the limits of this machine in real world terms. I could justify the higher price of the 350 now if I will need it in the future, but of course it will put a dent in my budget for my project and delay it.

I have just finished building a workshop with two dedicated 230V service circuits. One 50A and the other 80A.

Thank you.

. I would go with water cooled my self I hate the torch getting burning hot but as for the 200 vs 350 I went with the 350 since I want more then the 200 has to offer if your wanting a machine hat will last 30-40 years don't look at a dynasty I hear there life span if 8 to 12 years if I were u doing what u wanna do go with a 250 syncrowave tig runner Sam price as the 200 but will cost u a bit more on the hydro bill but you will save on the 350

Comment

I have the Dyn 200, and I like it. I use it quite a bit. The biggest downside I see for you is the hobby welder. I do believe that these welders like to be run. They don't like to sit on the shelf.

I agree with the syncro. They have been making them for years and years, but obviously the major downside is the amps. You will never see the real difference between transformer and inverter technologies welding on the weekends.

Comment

I thought about buying the synchrowave 250 for a long time and even planned for it with my workshop wiring, but then discovered the dynasty series. The space is a very minor concern. I could fit the synchrowave. But the amperage draw is a much larger concern, and I like the fact that the dynasty 200 is lightweight. I could probably unload it from my truck by hand rather than using a hoist.

Help me understand why the perception / experience exists of short life on the inverter welders, and what components inside them don't last if they are not exercised frequently?

Comment

I thought about buying the synchrowave 250 for a long time and even planned for it with my workshop wiring, but then discovered the dynasty series. The space is a very minor concern. I could fit the synchrowave. But the amperage draw is a much larger concern, and I like the fact that the dynasty 200 is lightweight. I could probably unload it from my truck by hand rather than using a hoist.

Help me understand why the perception / experience exists of short life on the inverter welders, and what components inside them don't last if they are not exercised frequently?

Welcome.

You would do just fine with the Dynasty200 with an aircooled torch for a while. It will do 1/4" alum and steel just fine once you have dialed in the arc. As you get going you could upgrade to watercooled if you wish. To be honest I have burned up 2 silicon body torches, and found that the CK rubber style is outlasting them quite a bit. I weld mostly sheet metal up to 1/8" with my 200. I will not go watercooled because I take my 200 out onsite in hospitals, restaurants, and cleanrooms. It is pretty simple to configure too.

Jumping up to a Dynasty350, I must go watercooled and weld 1" on a daily basis. The 350 has more wave control features and 16 memory stations(8 DC,8AC), which if I had not learned on Aerowaves I would have gone mad. But at high amps I consume much less electricity than my old transformer tigs. Especially wired to 3 phase.

Of all my Dynastys I have most fun with my 200, and is the simplest. My advise is configure with Aircooled torch, and watercooled. Use watercooled at the bench, and aircooled on 115volt in the field. The dinse connectors allows for quick transfer.

As far as reliability, I have found that inverter machines last as long as transformer machines, but I an equal opportunity welder killer.

Comment

I thought about buying the synchrowave 250 for a long time and even planned for it with my workshop wiring, but then discovered the dynasty series. The space is a very minor concern. I could fit the synchrowave. But the amperage draw is a much larger concern, and I like the fact that the dynasty 200 is lightweight. I could probably unload it from my truck by hand rather than using a hoist.

Help me understand why the perception / experience exists of short life on the inverter welders, and what components inside them don't last if they are not exercised frequently?

Welcome.

You would do just fine with the Dynasty200 with an aircooled torch for a while. It will do 1/4" alum and steel just fine once you have dialed in the arc. As you get going you could upgrade to watercooled if you wish. To be honest I have burned up 2 silicon body torches, and found that the CK rubber style is outlasting them quite a bit. I weld mostly sheet metal up to 1/8" with my 200. I will not go watercooled because I take my 200 out onsite in hospitals, restaurants, and cleanrooms. It is pretty simple to configure too.

Jumping up to a Dynasty350, I must go watercooled and weld 1" on a daily basis. The 350 has more wave control features and 16 memory stations(8 DC,8AC), which if I had not learned on Aerowaves I would have gone mad. But at high amps I consume much less electricity than my old transformer tigs. Especially wired to 3 phase.

Of all my Dynastys I have most fun with my 200, and is the simplest. My advise is configure with Aircooled torch, and watercooled. Use watercooled at the bench, and aircooled on 115volt in the field. The dinse connectors allows for quick transfer.

As far as reliability, I have found that inverter machines last as long as transformer machines, but I an equal opportunity welder killer.

I agree with shovelon on most points.
One thing to consider with air cooled/water cooled torches is the size of the torch, water being smaller. Heat is another factor.
If you want to weld larger steel with the 200, it will do it. Larger aluminum is hard and time consuming with the 200.
The 200 is a great all around tig/stick welder. For thicker aluminum you need more power than the 200.
I would get the 200 water cooled tig runner and get an air cooled torch for portability.

Comment

I would agree with what some others have said about the Synchro 250. They've been around and proven themselves for over 30 years. Who knows how long an inverter will last? I don't think they've even been around for 30 years.

Welding in a production environment is one thing, but as a hobbyist, I don't think you will ever see enough difference in power consumption to notice a difference in your power bills, let alone see enough difference to worry about, between a transformer vs. inverter.

On the other hand, you will see a difference in capabilities, especially in aluminum and high-amperage welding. At 200A, a Dynasty 200 (about the same price as a Syncro 250) has a duty cycle of 20% (8 minutes of cooling for every 2 minutes of welding) whereas a Syncro 250 has a duty cycle of 60%. Even at 150A, the Dyn 200 has a duty cycle of only 30% whereas the Syncro 250 has a duty cycle of 100% at 150A.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

Comment

Thanks for the feedback guys. Definitely gives me some things to consider. I hadn't thought about the portability since it will probably sit stationary in my workshop for a few years, but could be very useful in the future. Based on my experiences with welding many years ago (enjoyed it a lot), I think I will be using this welder more than I imagine right now... So far I think I'll stay on path with the Dynasty 200 DX.

One more question. As to the rated duty cycle for these welders. What happens if you exceed it? Does the welder overheat and kick out? I imagine it must have some protection against this, but could it get damaged if you repeatedly maxed it out on duty cycle for a given amperage, or perhaps only at the max amperage?

Comment

I have both. If your welding larger aluminum the 350, in my opinion, is a must. Welding larger steel with the 200 is Achievable.
The first year I ran my 200 over duty cycle a few times and a help code for overheat several times, after a year and a half my 200 went in for repairs. Several boards went bad.
When welding aluminum there's no substitute for amps